So it seems this year’s Oscar race is primed to become the
Academy’s personal tribute to “The Lord of the
Rings” ““ and deservedly so. Considering neither of the
trilogy’s first two installments won Oscars for Best Picture
or Best Director, “The Return of the King” should take
both.
But, ironically enough, as the Academy works to honor arguably
the most successful trilogy in the history of film, it will miss
out in honoring the best in filmmaking this year.
Recently, The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott wrote,
“We are living in an extraordinary period, one we will
eventually look back upon as a golden age of screen
acting.”
He’s partially right, but in singling out intense,
dramatic performances such as Charlize Theron’s in
“Monster” and Sean Penn’s in “Mystic
River,” he’s partially right for entirely the wrong
reasons.
What made 2003 a promising year for the future of film acting
was not the work of actors in typical Oscar-material roles but
their work in comedies.
This year, both Johnny Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean:
The Curse of the Black Pearl”) and Bill Murray (“Lost
in Translation”) are nominated for Best Actor for comic
roles. In another comedic performance, Diane Keaton
(“Something’s Gotta Give”) is nominated for Best
Actress. And a lot of people wanted Ellen DeGeneres to get an Oscar
nomination for her role in “Finding Nemo.” Their
performances, along with others like Jack Black’s in
“School of Rock,” Jamie Lee Curtis’ in
“Freaky Friday,” and even Will Ferrell’s in
“Elf” form a talented core that deserves to be
considered come Oscar time.
If anyone nominated for a comedy this year wins, it may open the
door for similar nominations in the immediate future. With the epic
“The Lord of the Rings” finally concluded and the
country’s mind increasingly having to think about larger
political issues, Hollywood may do what Hollywood does best in
troubling times: provide entertainment.
On top of all that, many consider “Lost in
Translation” deserving of the Best Picture Oscar, were
“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” not in
the race. Sofia Coppola’s tale of isolation may not be a
comedy in the same way as “Something’s Gotta
Give,” but its smart subtlety continues to resonate with
audiences.
The best comedy is comedy with drama within it, and
Murray’s performance is both touching and painfully funny. It
all stems from Coppola’s trust in her actor to know when to
be funny and when not to be, allowing him the room to enhance his
performance by finding the human anguish hidden within his punch
lines and physical routines. That’s also the sign of a good
screenplay, for which Coppola deserves more credit.
In general, both the Academy and the public view comedy as a
lesser art than drama, and it’s really a shame. The last
person to win either Best Actor or Best Actress for a comedy
performance was Roberto Benigni in 1998 for “Life is
Beautiful,” which is really even less of a comedy than
“Lost in Translation.”
Yet with an unheard-of three top acting nominations going to
comedic performances, everyone’s talking about Theron and
Penn. Hopefully, though, if one of those three can win, there might
be four or five comedy performances nominated next year, creating
an even playing field between comedy and drama. It’s never
been that way before, but that’s the way it should be.
Tracer was just happy Billy Bob Thornton got a Golden Globe
nomination for his role in “Bad Santa.” E-mail him your
favorite comedic performance of the year at
jtracer@media.ucla.edu.